With so many aging baby boomers, this discussion is going to get bigger – and needs to get bigger. We need to talk about end of life care, and what we want it to look like. Or what each individual wants it to look like. And of course, we are going to need medical staff to help with this conversation – who are trained to help with this conversation and to coordinate the care that is needed/requested.
This blog also reminded me about the cost of end of life care – and what is it worth? This Radiolab podcast is definitely worth a listen on that topic:
The following is Part 2 in a series about end-of-life care. For Part 1, see here. This article addresses my own experience on a Palliative Medicine elective in my fourth year of medical school.
Despite the growing number of U.S. hospitals with Palliative Care teams, there remains a real lack of understanding about the benefit that specialized Palliative Care providers can bring for patients with advanced illness. This form of care is especially valuable in patients with end-stage illness (and has even been shown to extend life by several months), but it can also help any patient at any stage of illness (regardless of prognosis). Indeed, even prescribing an NSAID for headache can be considered a form of palliation. The focus is about improving quality of life now instead of later.
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Trynia Kaufman 